heating oil

Villages face shortage of heating oil

(Newser) -
A harsh winter is taking a heavy toll on fuel supplies in Alaska. Two villages in the midst of 45-below temperatures have almost run out of heating oil, forcing a Noatak town store to ration borrowed supplies, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The village of Kobuk has turned to a...
More »

Thousands could suffer

(Newser) -
Thousands of people in the Northeast could be left in the cold this winter, as the federal government cuts heating aid to the poor. Congress is considering cutting more than $1 billion from last year's $4.7 billion Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program budget, which helped almost 9...
More »

For some holdouts, 50° is toasty

(Newser) -
Living with the heat off—if they even have heat—is a way of life for some Northerners who get through the winter on a combination of ingenuity and insulation. Their motives are often curious. Take the New York artist who appreciates the acoustics of his loft so much he...
More »

Plunging price of oil forces Chavez to freeze fuel aid program

(Newser) -
Venezuela has halted its gifts of free fuel to America's poor, the New York Times reports. The controversial foreign aid project supplied heating oil to 200,000 low-income households in 23 states and on Indian reservations, but the plunge in the price of oil has hit Venezuela hard and President...
More »

Demand and energy prices continue to fall

(Newser) -
The cost of heating an American home with oil this winter will fall 13%, according to government price forecasts released yesterday. The average heating bill for a typical winter for oil customers will be just under $1,700, reports USA Today. But those who use natural gas for heating—who...
More »

With home heating oil prices rising, natural gas looks like a better deal

(Newser) -
Northeasterners expecting the price of heating oil to hit $4.35 a gallon are creating an avalanche of new business for heating and cooling contractors as they increasingly look to convert from oil heat to natural gas, reports the Wall Street Journal. A conversion to natural gas heat can cost...
More »

With record number behind on bills, federal grants fall short

(Newser) -
As heating-fuel costs climb, millions of Americans are behind on electric and gas bills—and a record number will face a shutoff over the next 2 months, the New York Times reports. A federal grant program to help beleaguered consumers keep the heat on covers just 35% of a winter's...
More »

Rising crude futures could signal cold winter for heating-oil users

(Newser) -
Skyrocketing crude prices are sending shivers through American homeowners, who enter winter facing the highest heating oil prices in history. The average oil-heated household will spend $1,785 to keep warm this winter, the Washington Post reports, up 22% from last year. Natural gas users will see a 10% percent...
More »